醉
zuì
The English word 'drunk' can be translated into Chinese as 醉 (zuì).
醉 is an adjective used to describe someone who is intoxicated after drinking too much alcohol.
Meaning: intoxicated after drinking too much alcohol (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 喝醉了 is the most common way to express that someone has become drunk through the act of drinking. Additionally, adding the particle 了 after 醉 (forming 醉了) indicates a change of state, meaning the person has become drunk.
How do you pronounce it?
zuì
Did you know?
- In modern slang, 醉了 is often used to describe a feeling of utter helplessness or speechlessness when someone does something absurd. In this context, it has nothing to do with alcohol.
- There is a common idiom, 醉翁之意不在酒, which literally means 'the drunkard's intention is not in the wine'. It is used to describe someone who has a hidden motive or an ulterior reason for their actions.
- The character 醉 contains the radical 酉, which represents a wine jar. This visual component acts as a linguistic marker for anything related to alcohol or fermentation.
Examples in context
- 汤姆有点醉。Tom was a little drunk.This sentence is useful for describing someone who is a little drunk.Tatoeba #5911617 by verdastelo9604, translation #2645741 by CK
- 他经常喝醉！He is always drunk!This sentence is useful for describing someone who is always drunk.Tatoeba #10171214 by GlossaMatik, translation #7303740 by MarijnKp
- 这男人喝醉了。This man is drunk.This sentence is useful for describing a man who is drunk.Tatoeba #7781721 by jiangche, translation #463342 by lukaszpp
- 他喝多了酒，已经醉了。He drank too much and is already drunk.
- 昨晚他喝得酩酊大醉。Last night he drank until completely drunk.
- 昨晚的派对太疯狂了，我喝醉了。The party last night was so crazy, I got drunk.
- 他喝了好多啤酒，烂醉如泥了。He drank a lot of beer and got heavily drunk.
- 我们参加了一个婚宴，大家都喝醉了。We attended a wedding banquet, and everyone got drunk.
- 他喝了一整晚的啤酒，最后烂醉如泥地回家了。He drank beer all night and ended up heavily drunk before going home.
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen calls Haoran after a party to check on him.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，你现在醉了吗？Hàorán, nǐ xiànzài zuì le ma?Haoran, are you drunk now?
- 浩然 Haoran我有点醉了，感觉头晕。Wǒ yǒudiǎn zuì le, gǎnjué tóuyūn.I am a little drunk, I feel dizzy.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你千万不要开车。Nǐ qiānwàn bùyào kāichē.You must not drive.
- 浩然 Haoran放心吧，我打车回家。Fàngxīn ba, wǒ dǎchē huí jiā.Don't worry, I'll take a taxi home.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drunk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 醉, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
